I Found Out I Was Adopted At Age 45 On April Fool’s Day 

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“Let me first start off by saying I had one crazy Easter weekend. I have what I believe is one of the best ‘Easter Egg’ stories of all time. I found out I was adopted at the age of 45 on Easter Sunday, which was also April Fool’s Day this year.

Saturday afternoon I was looking through some old family photos when my wife comes in and says ‘I need you to come read this and please pull up a chair’. It was an email that she thought I would take great interest in.

I sat down and began to read the email. It was from a woman that was interested my background. It stated that we came up with a DNA match on Ancestry.com and that she had given an infant up for adoption in 1972.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading but at the same time I became excited and jumped out of the chair, ran back to my computer room and dug out an envelope that I found when we were cleaning out my parents’ house to sell. It was a letter to my grandmother asking for a reference to my parents for the purposes of adoption.

The envelope also contained the hand-written letter from my grandmother saying how my parents would make wonderful candidates if given the chance to adopt. She also left an email to reply to.

Contacting My Bio Mom

I pulled myself together and replied to the email. For the next 24 hours I waited and then it came. A text message with a phone number and a request to call. Shaking and nervous and not knowing what to say much less to think about all of this, I made the phone call.

She introduced herself as Helen. After some hesitation not wanting to reveal too much about myself, I let this woman give me some very specific information. She knew my birthday and told me where I was born. My biological mother had found me!

Up until this time in my life I had no idea I was adopted. My parents had never said anything to me and I know that it was not meant to be kept from me. They were trying to protect me from all the bullying and shenanigans that go on when kids find out someone is adopted.

We exchanged some pictures and at that point I had ZERO doubt this was my mother talking to me. I also learned that I have two brothers and a sister and cousins along with several nieces and nephews. I finally got the kid sister I’d always wanted.

As I began looking at the family photos I was sent, I saw myself in every one of them. This was strange to me because in all the family pictures I’d ever seen I didn’t look like anyone else.

mom sitting on chair with five kids
Courtesy Michael Sargent

Meeting My Birth Family

I guess I’ve always had that question floating in my head wondering if I was adopted. In April, on Friday the 13th, I traveled to Baton Rouge, LA from Corpus Christi, TX to meet my ‘new’ family. I was excited and nervous about this trip as I’m sure anyone in my position would be.

When I pulled up to the house, I stopped, gathered my thoughts, took a deep breath and pulled into the driveway.  What happened next changed me inside forever. I stepped out of my truck and looked up to see her running towards me. She put her hands on my face and looked into my eyes.

bio mom hugging adult son by car
Courtesy Michael Sargent

There was an instant connection. I could see myself in her. And she finally saw the little boy she had the courage to give up for adoption 45 years ago. We shared an emotional hug that I will never forget.

My mother had finally found me and now she has all of her children in her life. What a fulfilling moment for the both of us. Meeting my biological mother for the first time was one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced.

We spent the next 2 days talking and getting to know one another sharing our past with each other. She told me the reasons why she gave me up for adoption.

She was very young and had no way to take care of me. My birth father was not in the picture. By giving me up for adoption she gave me the opportunity at life that I would not have had if she had kept me.

She made the hardest choice any mother can make. I understood and love her that much more for making that tough decision. She also shared with me that my siblings and cousins had always known that I was out there somewhere.

Sunday was the day I met my Aunt Mary and Uncle Gary along with my cousins Jessica and Chris, and my sister April. We had a family get together for my April’s 40th birthday.

Chris was the 1st to arrive. Chris and I walked up to each other, took off our sunglasses and looked at one another. He said to me, ‘yup, you’re family!’

Jessica and I had an immediate connection too. Our love for all things sci-fi was a great icebreaker.

My Aunt came up to me and also looked into my eyes and gave me a big hug and welcomed me to the family. So many emotions in such a short time. Afterwards we all stood there cracking jokes and for the 1st time in years my old goofy jokes were new again. And dare I say it, still funny.

The next biggest emotional moment for me was meeting my little sister for the 1st time. Ever since I was younger, I had always wanted a sister. I think I was actually more nervous to meet her than anyone else.

When April finally arrived on Sunday, I was inside in the kitchen with mom. She walked through the back door and immediately ran up to me and gave me a hug that was so filled with love and emotion that I could simply not contain myself. We both broke into tears of happiness. I’ll never forget this moment as long as I live.

Later that day we had a crawfish boil. As I stood there talking to my mother and sister, I looked around at all of these people and realized, this is my family. I’ve never felt so at home around ‘strangers’ in all my life. They all made me feel so welcome and loved that it’s difficult to put into words.

adopted son meets bio family as an adult
Courtesy Michael Sargent

I drove back home the following day. Since then I have texted and/or spoken with my sister, mother and cousins on a daily basis.  We’ve got 40 years of catching up to do and the rest of our lives to create new memories.

adopted son hugging bio mom and sister
Courtesy Michael Sargent

This of course changes nothing between myself and my adopted family.

My mother and father will always be my mom and dad and nothing can or will ever change that. They gave me a warm loving home. I had a truly blessed childhood. Thank you mom and dad for everything!”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Michael Sargent, 45, of Corpus Christi, Texas. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories. 

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